ESCONDIDO  A man suspected in the armed robbery, sexual assault and vehicle theft of an employee at a store in a strip mall on East Valley Parkway, near North Rose Street, was arrested by Escondido police Wednesday night.

The incident was reported at 5:07 p.m. at Family Accessories in the Valley Plaza Shopping Center. A woman was working alone in the store when the man came in with a gun, police Lt. Chris Wynn said. The man was arrested about 10 p.m., about five blocks away, Wynn said.

Police were still investigating, and it was unclear which occurred first, the robbery or sexual assault, and what was taken in the robbery, Wynn said.

It is not believed that the victim and suspect knew each other, Wynn said. The woman was taken to a hospital for a forensics examination, he said.

The suspect, whose name has not yet been released, was found driving the woman's stolen SUV, a two-tone 2000 Ford Expedition, when he was arrested by police officers.

He had been described as a Latino, in his 20s, 5 feet 5 inches tall, with a facial piercing.

Ahmad Mohamad, an employee at The Ink Spot, a tattoo shop in the strip mall, was at work at the time of the incident. He said employees at the shop frequently go outside the store to have a cigarette, but no one heard screaming or saw anyone fleeing.

“I’m just so shocked because we didn’t see or hear anything,” Mohamad said.

A Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts store is located next to Family Accessories. Customers were going in and out while police officers had blocked off an area nearby. An employee who answered the phone at the store said she could not comment.